Today's high speed data connection is as important as yesteryear's dial tone. Just about every facet of life is now accessible and manageable via such a network, such as the Internet, and its importance is only going to grow over time as more and more devices become ‘smart’ and connected.
Reaching the network requires, of course, a data connection to a server that is on the Internet; be it via fiber optic cable, coaxial cable, wireless, satellite, cellular, or other network. And whichever network type is chosen for that data connection, there are invariably geographic areas that are not well covered by the network. For example, fiber optic and coaxial cable networks can only reach locations that have those underground cables. Digging up earth and laying those cables is an expensive task, and expansion of those networks is slow, so anyone who happens to be outside of the cable network's coverage area may be out of luck.
In many homes, local wireless access nodes (e.g., wireless “hotspots”) can be installed to help extend the reach of the network to bedrooms, basements, etc. that are not within easy reach of the home's wiring outlets, but those are not a perfect solution either. Wireless access nodes often have a limited range that is only really suitable for indoor, same-premises deployment, and their decentralized nature can lead to maintenance difficulties as more and more homes deploy different kinds of wireless equipment from different vendors.
There is, and probably always will be, a need for an improvement in expanding network access to more and more locations.